New England Patriots - NESN.com
All eyes have been on New England Patriots receiver Efton Chism throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp, with the undrafted free agent already making a strong impression.
Many consider him a favorite to earn a spot on the 53-man roster, and Chism’s high school coach sent the Patriots a strong message about what he can bring to the team.
“The Patriots would be freaking silly not to put this kid on the 53-man (roster),” Chism’s high school coach Michael Bumpus told WEEI’s Meghan Ottolini.
“(He’s) the hardest working kid I’ve ever coached. And I’ve coached for 14 years at my facility. We have at least 100, 120 athletes come through a year that play football. He just works his butt off, man,” he added.
Quarterback Drake Maye has also noticed Chism’s efforts, joking that it feels like he’s caught “50 passes” during the spring and early summer. And with that, Chism’s gotten opportunities with the first team offense already.
“He has great hands and makes good decisions,” Bumpus said. “But he’s also used to tackling somebody. So he’ll be a gunner. He’ll do the dirty work, and he’ll be fine.”
Chism was a sought-after undrafted free agent, with the Denver Broncos also making a pitch to sign him. But the Patriots ultimately gave him a three-year contract with $234,000 guaranteed along with a $25,000 signing bonus, which is more than some of the seventh-round draft picks even received.
The real test for Chism will be when the pads come on during training camp, but this is a very good start.
